Political Notes: November 2009

Tom Crawford

Policy group formed: Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) has formed a new Senate Policy Group, which he will chair, to develop conservative proposals for the 2010 legislative session. The group’s members include Mitch Seabaugh (R-New-nan), Chip Pearson (R-Daw-sonville), Bill Heath (R-Bremen), and Bill Cowsert (R-Athens). “The problems Georgians face are not limited to the time of year in which the legislature meets,” Rogers said. “We must focus year round on finding viable solutions that offer limited government intervention, improve the lives of Georg-ians and create a growing, stable economy.”

NCSL position: Sen. Ross Tolleson (R-Perry) has been named vice chairman of the Agriculture and Energy Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL). “It is a great opportunity for me to view issues dealing with our natural re-sources, environment and alternative energy sources from a national post and use my experience in this role to better serve the citizens of Georgia,” Tolleson said.

Career move: Hank Huckaby, who was a top aide and budget officer for several governors, has joined the investment firm Broad Street Capital Advisors as a senior financial consultant. Huckaby retired from the University of Georgia in 2006 after six years as senior vice president for finance and administration. He was Gov. Sonny Perdue’s budget officer for the first few months of the Perdue administration in 2003. Huckaby was director of the Office of Planning and Budget under Gov. Zell Miller and from 1980 to 1991 was executive director of the Georgia Housing and Finance Authority.

Top of the ranks: The U.S. Army placed North Georgia College in Dah-lonega as the nation’s top-performing senior military college on its National Order of Merit List. The annual list ranks cadets in more than 270 Army ROTC programs, based on performance at the Army’s Leadership Development Assessment Course at Fort Lewis, Wash. North Ge-orgia College is one of only six senior military colleges in the nation, the others being the Citadel, Norwich University, Texas A&M University, Virginia Mili-tary Institute and Virginia Tech.

DOT aide: Troutman Sanders lobbyist Stephanie Carter was named a special assistant to Transportation Commissioner Vance Smith and will take on lobbying duties for the agency. “Her knowledge of the capitol will be an asset in our partnership to move transportation forward,” Smith said.